Mumbai Indians lost yet again in their opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, losing by eight wickets to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday. This failure highlighted several problems within the MI group. Rohit Sharma sent a subtle warning to his bowling unit, admitting at the post-match presentation ceremony that he is now ‘used to’ playing without Jasprit Bumrah.
Bengaluru were no match for Mumbai as Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli destroyed their bowlers.
Reflecting on the team’s defeat, Rohit said: “We didn’t get off to a good start with the bat in the first six overs. But it was a good effort from Tilak and some of the batsmen. But we didn’t do well. It was a good pitch to bat on, with the ball. (On Tilak Verma) He was a positive. The guy was very talented. Some of the shots he played showed a lot of guts. Hats off Tilak was a competitive sum for Tilak to win us over. It was a good pitch to bat on. We didn’t set a target but we didn’t bat half to our potential and we scored 170 runs. We reached. Maybe 30-40 runs more.”
While Bumrah is set to miss the entire campaign, Rohit has urged his bowlers to step up and fulfill the talent and potential they have.
“I’ve been playing without Jasprit Bumrah for the last six to eight months. Of course, it’s a different set-up, but somebody has to step up. We can’t continue that. No injuries. Our control, we can’t do much about it. The rest of the set-up The guys are also very talented. We have to give them that support. In the first game of the season, there is a lot to look forward to,” he said. said.
Jofra Archer made a much-anticipated debut for Mumbai Indians in this match, but the England pacer went wicketless for 33 runs in 4 overs.
